A machine-to-machine (M2M) communication is a communication between a group of devices capable of autonomously transmitting and receiving data without human intervention. The M2M communication system includes devices, (such as a sensor or meter), to capture information, (such as temperature, etc.), and relay over a wireless or wired network. With a wide variety of potential applications, the number of M2M enabled devices is increasing.
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is currently attempting to describe end-to-end system requirements to support M2M communication services. As part of this effort, ETSI is describing the M2M functional architecture to deliver M2M services to applications. The main goal of the M2M functional architecture is to present the overall end-to-end M2M functional entities, the relationships between these entities, as well as relationship to ETSI Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TISPAN) and third generation partnership project (3GPP) networks.